By Kelly Griffith Mannion

As a Montessori educator, I know that fall brings a lot of opportunities for children to explore and make discoveries about nature and their community. Here are some Montessori-flavored tips for helping your children get the most out of the season.

1. Slow down and don’t over schedule. October always tends to be a busy month. The weather is cooler, making outdoor events more plentiful. Toss in some seasonal activities, and it can be easy to pack too much into our schedules in the name of fun. It’s important to remember children need downtime to absorb what is happening around them, reflect on new experiences, and build their brains.

2. Let your children direct the activities. Do your children want to go to a corn maze, pumpkin patch, fall carnival, trunk-or-treat event, and/or community festival? Let them decide. It will make them more receptive to learning and enjoying the experience than if you had made the decision for them. 

3. Observe changes in nature. The weather isn’t the only thing that changes during the fall: Leaves turn colors and drift to the ground. Farms harvest the last crops. Birds migrate. Encourage your children to spend a little more time outside so they can discover some of these events and find a peaceful calm in nature.

4. Have fun with pumpkins. Pumpkins, synonymous with fall, present a festive and fun learning canvas for curious kids: What happens to pumpkin seeds when they are cooked? Can I grow my own pumpkin if I put pumpkin seeds in the dirt? Are pumpkins always orange? What animals eat pumpkins?

When we stop to see the world through our children’s eyes, we’ll learn from them while we help them learn.

Kelly Griffith Mannion wanted to become a Montessori educator when she was a teenager. Now she is the executive director and superintendent of River Montessori Charter School (RMCS), a position she has held since the school’s founding in 2009. RMCS is a tuition-free, Petaluma public school that inspires children to become global citizens and realize their academic, personal, and social potential.